Cleaner for oil burners



Reissued Apr. 27, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLEANER FOR OIL BUBNERS Dewey Hamil, Macomb, 111., assignor to-Globe American Corporation, Kokomo, hit, a corporation of Indiana Original No. 1,982,303, dated November 27, 1934,

. Serial No.

515,742, February 14, 1931. Application for reissue May 21, 1936, Serial No. 81,132

12 Claims.

of burners of an annuapt to form during the use of the burner, and in its general objects aims to provide simple and conveniently operated means whereby such deposits can be -scraped oil, without interrupting the operation of the burner andby manipulation at a distance from the burner.

My invention relates to the class in which the flame issues over the top lar wall so that carbon deposits are on such a wall top In one of its more particular objects, my invention relates to the class of burners in which the upper portion of an annular fuel trough houses a so-called vaporildng ring. which ring has portions thereof so close to the inner faces ofthe riser walls of the trough as to present exceedingly narrow tubular passages through which the fuel vapor issues. In the commercial manufacture ofsuch burners, these riser walls of the trough and the adjacent edge portions of the vaporizing ring cannot be economically menufactured with such a degree of precision as to present accurately formed and exactly concentric o p sed walls.

Consequently. the width of each such vapor passage (radially of the annular trough) is not precisely equal along the entire circumference of that passage, so that the rate at which vapor issues from different cireumferentially spaced portions of each such passage will vary somewhat.

As the result of this variation, the combustion is not equally complete in all circumferential portions of the flame accruing from the vapor which issues from each such tubular passage, so that deposits of carbon are apt to form at por- 35 tions of the mouth of each such passage, and also on trough wall portions adjacent to the mouth portions of the vapor passages. My invention aims to reduce the deleterious action of such carbon depositsby providing simple means whereby the vaporizing ring of such a burner may be rotated to dislodge and distribute at least a considerable portion of these deposits, and whereby this rotation of the vaporizing ring may be eil'ectedv without halting the operation of the burner or otherwise interfering with the normal use of the appliance in connection with which the burner is used.

In another important object, nrv invention relatestotheclassofannular burnersinwhich.

tleastapartoi'theflameissuesbetweena flame spreader and an annular burner portion downwardly from this ilame spreader. In such burners, carbon deposits are apt to form on upper edge of such a burner portion, and my invention aims to provide simple and easily operated means for scraping such deposits off the said edge. Furthermore, my invention aims to provide a simple arrangement whereby this scraping can be effected by integral parts of the flame spreader through a rotation of the latter;

In still another object, my invention relates to heaters or other burner-equipped appliances in which the flame issues into a combustion chamber over the top of an annular wall on which deposits are apt to form, and aims to provide simple means for scraping off such deposits, by means operable from outside the saidheater or other apparatus.

More particularly, my invention aims to provide the flame-spreader of a bumer withscraper elements adapted to remove such deposits when the flame-spreader is rotated, to provide means whereby the flame-spreader can be rotated by an operating member extending through the lid of the combustion chamber, whereby the flamespreader can readily be lifted out of the said chamber by a raising of the said operating member to permit a cleaning of the flame-spreader, and whereby the said lid can also be lifted oil its normal position by a sufiicient raising of the operating member. '80 also, my invention aims to provide a simple and inexpensive construction of the needed parts for the above recited purpose, and one in which the flame-spreader will easily be guided to its normal operative position when it is again lowered.

Still further and also more detailed objects will appear from the following specification and from the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical and central section through a drum typeheater'including an embodiment of all features of my invention, with the flamespreader and the actuating member both shown in their normal positions.

Fig. 2 is an enlargement of the sectionsof the oil trough, vaporizingring and adjacent portions in Fig. l, with the flame-spreader raised somewhat from its normal position.

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the flame-spreader, drawn on the same scale as Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the vaporizing ring, and Fig. 5 is a similarly enlarged view of the oil trough.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the vaporizing ring, drawn on a smaller scale than Figs. 2 and 3.

In Fig. l,'I am showing a heater including an annular drum supported by legs i this drum having an inner cylindrical wall 2 and an outer cylindrical wall I, an annular top 4 and an annular bottom 5. The annular space confined by these parts 2 to 8, inclusive, is divided into three super posed com ents A, B and C by horizontal annular floors t and I, and a flue collar defines an upward outlet from the uppermost compartment C. This collar is here shown as integral with a centrally perforated top plate I which, together with a lid iii socketed in its perforation,

' constitutes the upper end of a cylindrical combustion chamber E which has the said inner tubular wall 2 as its peripheral wall and which has a depressed extension A of the drum bottom I as the oil trough which has the major portion of its outer well ll spaced radially inward from the upper end of the air-confining wall It and extending higher than the latter, while the inner trough wall I! has a tubular inner face "A deg a central air inlet for the burner.

e opposed interior walls of the oil trough slope downward toward each other. and the outer ofthese walls It aswellsstheinward trough 7 wall ll each is formed to present horizontal ledge portion above these ledges,

II, II at the same level within the trough; thereby dividing the trough into a lower portion for receiving the oil (or other liquid fuel) 2|, and a wider upper portion for receiving a vaporizing ring 2| which has inner and outer depending flanges respectively seatedon the said shoulders or ledges l8 and. is. This cross-section (radially of the ring) that its inner and outer walls are closely adjacent respectively to the said upper portions of the trough walls i1 and It when the depending flanges 22 and 22 are respectively seated onv the' said shoulders or ledges It and is; and the height of the vaporizing ring is less than the depth of the troughso that the inner trough wall it and more particularly the outer trough wall It extends higher than this ring.

Extending above the said trough and ring, and of larger diameter than the exterior wall of the trough, is a flame-spreader 24 which is provided wall ll, as shown in Fig. l.

. gradually vaporizes the ving 2|], through which air is between the ledges i8 and. I.

, jacent PD l' portions near its periphery with a plurality of apertures 2| and which has a plurality of radial webs 20 depending from it. Each of these webs normally is seated on' the upper edge of "the outer trough wall but extends freely above the inner trough under-hangs the burner and has a lateral openadmitted along the lines shown by the arrows in Fig. 1 both to the central air passage bordered by the inner trough wall It and to the annular space between the iliir-conflning collar i2 and the outer trough wall 'when the burner .is in 'supplied through an oil duct 22 to the lower part of the trough, as shown at 2| in Fig. 2, the heat radiated from the metal trough and the vaporizing ring (after the burner is lighted) oil in the space within the trough above the oil and below the vaporizing ring.- The resulting vapor pressure forces this vapor past the ring through the crevices and the'depending flanges on the ring, and through the crevices (or annular passages) between the inner and outer walls of the ring and the respectively adof the opposed trough walls, suflicient crevices being afforded between 1 the drum, where a port or drum partition i middle drum compartment B. After again passringisofsucha,

operation, with oilthe ring and the ledgB by the irregularities. of the adjacent'surfaces in the usual manufacture of such parts. v

Consequently, the oil vapor issues in two tubular formations adjacent the inner and outer walls of the vaporizing ring. and its admixture with the air produces two annular flames. These flames issue partly through the apertures 2' in the flame-spreader 24, but for the most part are deflected outward of the burner by this flame-spreader so as to direct them toward the peripheral wall 2 of the combustion chamber. g

The combustion. gases thenpass into the lower drum compartment A through a port 2| in the said wall 2 and travel in the form of two oppositely directed streams to the opposite side of 20 in the annular floor admits these gases to the ing halfway around the drum, the gases flow throughaport llinthe partitioningfloorlto the uppermost compartment C, fromwhich they issue through the flue collar 8.

Operatively connected to the flame-spreader 24,

and preferably coaxial with the latter, is an actuating member comprising an upright stem 22 which extends through a perforation 23 in the lid II and desirably to a point considerably above this lid. This rod has at its upper end 'a'horizontally extending arm 22, which arm is desirhandle 2!. The stem l2,

ably housed by a spiral :of the actuating member desirably is permanently connected to the flame-spreader, as by a bolt 28 extending through lugs 243 on the flamespreader and through an eye 21 on the lower end of the said stem. and the major portion of the stem 22 below the lid II is desirably housed loosely by a metal tube 22 to shield, the stem from the flames. Moreover, the perforation 22 in the lid is preferably smaller in diameter than the exterior of the shielding tube 22, so that the upper end of this tube will engage the lower face of this lid when the actuating member has been lifted to a predetermined extent, thereby permitting the user to raise the lid also by lifting the handle 2!.

Projecting upward from the vaporizing ring 2| are a plurality of lugs 2 IA, which lugs reach above the lower end face portions 26A of the webs 2. on the flame-spreaderwhen these portions are seated on the outer trough walls It as in Fig. 1. These lugs are desirably spaced circumferentially of the vaporizing ring similar to the spacing to the said web portions, as shown in Fig. ,6, so that each lug will be engaged by oneof the said webs enabling the user to see the flame within the combustion chamber E. when the appearance of this flame indicates that undesirable carbon deposits have formed on the burner, the flame spreader is lowered back to its normal position .on the burner and the stem 32 is then rotated I about its own axis, this being easily done by using the handle I! as a crank. Thus, the manually rotatable part of the burner assembly serves continuously as a flame spreader member when the burner is in operation, and alsoserves as a to the upper ends of scraper member when this burner part is rotated.

During this rotation, the portions of the flamespreader webs 26 which are seated on the outer burner wall will scrape any deposits ofi the top of this wall; and the rotation of the vaporizing ring will loosen any carbon adjacent to the upper flame-spreader entirely out of the heater by sufflciently lifting the handled actuating member, thereby making it easy for him to scrape or otherwise clean both the lower face of the flamespreader and the walls of the spreader perforations 25, if this is needed.

To facilitate the centering of the flame-spreader with respect to the burner when it is again lowered after having beenraised off the trough, I preferably connect the inner ends of the webs 26 to form a downwardly tapering nub 280 having an effective exterior diameter slightly smaller than'the upper end of the air-bore forming inward through face ISA. However, I do not wish to be limited to this or other details of the construction and arrangement above disclosed, since changes may obviously be made without departing either from the spirit of my invention or from the appended claims. So also, I do not wish to be limited to the employment of my invention in connection with a drum type' of heater, nor to the conjoint use of various novel features of my invention.

The invention claimed is:

1. In an oil burner, an annular oil trough, a vaporizing ring disposed within the trough and above the bottom of the trough and affording a vapor passage between each riser side of the ring and the adjacent wall of the trough; a member overlying the said ring: the said member including a flame spreader coaxialwith the trough,

and spacer elements depending from the flame,

spreader and spaced clrcumferentially' of the trough and normally seated on the trough; and

means operable to rotate the flame spreader member; the vaporizing ring and the flame spreader member having parts interengaging to cause a rotation of the flame spreader to rotate the vaporizing ring with it.

2. In a heater,a top portion including a lid provided with a perforation, a burner including an annular fuel trough disposed below and substantially coaxial with the said perforation, scraper means supported for rotation about the axis of the trough and including a scraper element normally seated on the trough; and an, actuating member connected to the scraper means and extending through the said perforation, for rotating the scraper means; theactuating member having a portion thereof disposed for engaging the lid when the actuating member is lifted.

3. A heater assemblage as per claim 2, including a tube housing a portion of the actuating member so as to shield that portion against excessive heat from the flame of the burner.

4. In a heater, a top portion provided with a perforatioma burner including 'an annular fuel trough disposed below and substantially coaxial with the said'perforatlon, a flame spreader overlying the said trough and supported for rotation about the axis of the trough the flame spreader including scraper elements normally seated on the trough, and an actuating member fastened at its lower end to and supported by the flame spreader, the actuating member extending continuously during the operation of the heater through the said perforation and presenting a handle spaced upward from the said top portion for permitting the flame spreader to be rotated from the exterior of the heater while the said top portion of the heater is in its normal position.

5. In an oil burner, an annular oil trough, a vaporizing ring support in the said trough above the bottom of the trough and below the top of the walls of the trough, and cooperating with the walls of the trough to afford vapor passages therebetween; a flame spreader coaxial with and freely overlying the trough; spaced .webs depending from the flame spreader and normally seated on the outer wall-of the trough, the said webs extending freely above the inner wall of the trough;

flame spreader includes a part depending into thespace surrounded by the inner wall of the annular oil trough, the said part serving to center the flame spreader with respect to the oil trough when the flame spreader is being placed in position on the trough.

7. In a heater having a combustion chamber therein and having a lid in the top of the said chamber, a liquid fuel burner disposed within the combustion chamber and including an upwardly facing annular burner portion including a wall upon which carbon is apt to deposit during the operation of the burner; a scraper member having only widely spaced portions thereof continuously seated on the said burner portion during the operation of the burner; an actuating member extending downwardly through the lid into the heater and operable from the exterior of the heater for rotating the scraper member without interrupting the operation of the burner, and lid-lifting means associated with the actuating member and disposed for engaging the lid so as to cause a raising of the operating member to raise the lid also.

8. In a heater having a combustion chamber therein and having a lid in the top of the said chamber, a liquid fuel burner disposedwithin the combustion chamber and including an upwardly facing annular burner portion including a wall upon which carbon is apt to deposit during the operation of the burner; a scraper mem+ ber having only widely spaced portions thereof continuously seated on the said burner portion during the operation of the burner; an actuating Y ating member whereby'the lifting of the actuating member will raise the lid also.

9. In a heater, a top portion provided with a perforation, a burner including a fixed annular fuel trough positioned below and substantially coaxial with the said perforation, a rotatable vaporising ring supported in said trough, a rotatable name-spreader overlying said trough and ring and supported for rotation about the axis or said trough, means engaging said flame-spreader with the ring and means operable selectively to lift the flame-spreader from the trough and ring, or rotate both the flame-spreader and the engaged ring for scraping said trough, said lastmentioned means extending continuously during trou h.

the operation of the heater through said perioration and presenting a handle spaced upwardly from the said topportion for permitting the flame spreader and ring to be rotated from the exterior of the heater while the said top portion of the heater is inits normal position.-

10. In an oil burner, an annular fixed oil a rotatable vaporizing ring therein, a rotatable flame-spreader, means for engaging the flame-spreader with the ring, said ring being normally seated in said trough, and means operable selectively to lift the flame-spreader from the trough and ring, or rotate both the flamespreader and the engaged ring for causing said ring to dislodge foreign deposits trom said trough.

. overlying said ring;

a vaporizing ring member rotatably disposed within said trough and affording a vapor passage 15 between each riser side of the ring and the adjacent wall of the trough, said ring adapted when rotated to dislodge foreign deposits from said burner, a rotatable flame spreader separate from and overlying said ring, and cooperating means 20 upon said spreader and ring whereby rotary movement applied to the spreader will be transmitted to the ring.

DEWEY H. HILL.-

the trough; a member s the flame spreader, 

